| HOW TO ANALYZE INFORMATION Some one once said. To summon forth a past generation, to attempt to depict an era that has now become historical. It is essential to take and describe as attentively as possible, some of the characters who functioned in that period, to produce a small fragment of the life style and social behavior paten of that period. To do this with any degree of accuracy, I must have one foot firmly planted in the unchangeable past and the other in the less stable and increasingly uncertain present. How true this is. With this in mind, I came across an article that would let me explain how I use the information which is contained within it_s core. This information tells me a lot when I am out in the field, what to look for, how big the sector may have been and so on. This is just the start to being a relic hunter, but it is the most important one. Welcome to a small insight to my chosen past time. This article was taken from the Goulburn Herald 1860. A brief sketch of Kiandra will, I hope, be acceptable to your numerous readers. On the 6 Th of February last, what a view met the travellers enraptured gaze as he descended the hills which bound the new rush on the north. One of the most splendid land scapes imaginable. In days previous, nothing cheered the desponding travellers hopes as he toiled over boundless swamps, the very picture of desolation, and his spirits fell far below zero at the sight of one more hungry and hard up gangs of disappointed diggers, endeavoring to get back, God only knows how, either to Sydney or settled districts. But in one instant, what a change comes over those thoughts of misery. The traveller reaches the modern Ell Dora do, five hundred feet below, and sees the serpentine Snowy River, for the first time_ There it winds and coils like an immense snake, amidst a thousand ant beds; and there are the human ants, picking, shoveling, and harassing it with their dams into a hundred various contortions_ He descends still lower and, oh_ how lovely seem those domains of Platypus, surrounded by a faultlessly regular amphitheatre of verdant hills, green and smooth as a well keep lawn, to about one hundred feet from the summit, where a coronal of dark green trees circles the crest, and forms a magnificent and beautiful contrast to the light green herb age of earth and the deep transparent blue of heaven, altogether presenting a delightful panorama, apparently indebted for its loveliness more to the studied art of a skilful gardener than to the fortuitous caprice of venerable Dame Nature. This is the Snowy in summer. Night closes over the scene, and the traveler pitches his tent on the slop of the hill behind Poloick_s store, or canvas edifice. Having partaken of supper, he has a look at the world below before retiring to sleep. What a fairy picture_ The thousands of camp and bush fires far around, make him fancy he views the placid bosom of an immense lake, which in reflection the stars magnifies each little twinkle into a full orbed moon; and to carry out the fancies of an astronomer of the olden days, there is the music of the spheres. oh, what hybrid sounds_ Squeaking key bugles intermingling the "British Grenades" with "Partant pour la Syria." Fiddlers, minus a string, endeavouring to act with damaged accordions and ruptured concertinas; but, ho, great Apollo, a set of bag pipes performing the "Modereen Rue," perfectly natural, if it be natural for a pack of hounds to have the influenza and the chin cough. So that to think of sleep would be quite impossible, a young musician commences in his tent about six yards distant, to take preliminary lessons on the ad-urb; in fact, the height of nonsense, is so that a person is resolved to ramble out amidst the denser congregation of tents taking precaution to have no money on his person, and to be well armed. His attention is arrested by an Italian singing one of the beautiful melodies of his native land; he listens, but what disappointment when an Irishman, with a strong Tarlee brogue, interrupts the singer. Sing us something about the "Trinah," that we can understand. An altercation ensues, which ends in a quarrel. It is near midnight, and something bordering on tranquillity promises five or six hours repose. Day dawns. The grog-shanties again send forth their turbulent uproar. It is Sunday morning, so after partaking of some half-raw beef, sodden damper, and coffee, and having performed some necessary ablutions, you walk out into what is a town. And you see the representatives of every existing race of the human family; There are all grades of gamblers, from the low thimble-rig and pitch and toss players to the dice and rouge-et-noir gentry. See that fellow in the center of the street with 8 fellows about him. Those are a gang of scienced swindlers, low, rowdy, humans, who live by robbing diggers huts, with more money than wits. Hear the words "ring ring_" The digger finds himself cheated, and grasps the cheat; but the later gentleman abides by the fortune of war, and thus the Sabbath is profaned by brutal combats, four sets of those modern gladiators are displaying to separate audiences their agility in the beautifully and brutally degrading science of self defense. Sunday is the gala day for these exploits, and the "bon jour" for the thousand grog shanties, with their concomitant curses and evils. _ The first part of the article tells me the area of the gold field, with this information I use it to cross reference with my topographic maps, which then gives me the location of the gold field. If by some reason I cannot pinpoint the field, I then contact the N.S.W department of mines for more information. As a relic hunter the next bit of information the article holds for me , is how the new arrivals were taking care not to have any money on their person as they ventured out at night. The only place they would have had to conceal their money would have been a small hole in the ground, which was common practice amongst the miners. I will now move on to where the new arrivals were descending into the valley, and noticing the lack of wood to within 100 feet of the summit. Which indicates to me that the miners would have had communal fires, for each nationally. Another point in favour of this concept is. If wood was in shortage the miners would have taken turns in the gathering, and if they had to buy the wood it would make even more sense to share the cost. The next bit of information I can deduce from the article is the number of grog shanties they had on the field, and that gambling was quite widespread on this gold field. To put that information into practice goes something like this. When I find an area that is of interest to me, I get my topographic map out and locate the field. I then check out the contour lines on my topographic map, to see where the flattest areas would have been in relation to the diggings. This would be the spot to start from. Having obtained permission to detect that area, the first indirection I would look for would be a pile of rocks. The rocks would indicate where the miners had there communal fire for each group. From the old fire place, I then have a look around to see if you can locate areas, that were leveled for tent sites. Ever way I will start detecting around the old fire place. With my Tesoro Bandido detector set in all-metal or with your discrimination turned back to number 1. I would work out from the fire place. It will not be long before I will start to find where the tent emplacements were located. As stated the miners had little option but to conceal their personal effects in their tents. The most common practice here was to dig a small hole and conceal their valuables in it. This way the miners were assured that their possessions would be still there when they returned from their days work. It may take years to fully detect a camp area, the more you work the area the more you will understand how it was set up. Remember when relic detecting, be patient, and be willing to put seemingly endless hours into the pursuit and research. Do this and you will be well rewarded for your efforts. The way I have read into the above article, is very basic, and probably has room to be improved but it is a place to start for me. But it dose not have to be old newspaper articles you analyze_ There are a million and one documents from years past, all that is required will be the recognition of that document for what it is. In other words be on the look-out for printed manuscripts. For more information pleas visit http://groups.msn.com/AlluvialGoldProspectors/_whatsnew.msnw |
